I am back. And so relieved. Not having you to talk to at the beginning of each day was just plain lonely. I would see a picture and have no-one to share it with. The animals would do something silly but no-one to tell. I am so sorry that took so long. But quite delightfully, the wee geek fellow said there was nothing whatsoever wrong with my laptop except that it IS a laptop and one should not load so much, um stuff on it. Oops. Miss C Got a Geek Growling! So I am to get an external hard drive thingy and download all the extraneous material onto it. And hopefully that will do the trick. 
Mad Dog you were absolutely right. Oh me of little faith!!
While we were apart, Mama has been doing a lot of this. Lying down. Flat out. On Wednesday I decided to leave her outside full time as she was literally too wide to fit easily through her barn door anymore. There was a collection of wool being left in the doorways. They are happier outside anyway. Plus it is cleaner for lambing. I taught TonTon to find Mama. 
So on command he will run out to the Salad Bar Paddock and stare at Mama and bark if there are any wild dogs about. Maybe I should put a camera on his collar! Ton has been spending an unusual amount of time voluntarily in the little field with them too. He is a better guard dog than he is a herding dog but to be fair, these sheep are not afraid of him, as he grew up with them from a wee pup. As you can see Mia is back on form being the clown in any photo.
St Joseph’s Day was celebrated early over atThe Bartolini pages this week with my favourite Italian Dish. John’s story explains St Joseph beautifully. So I thought I would show you my little statuette of St Joseph. He has stood on the window sill of every kitchen I have worked in in the many many years since my Mother died. Mum always stood him above her kitchen sink. Now so do I. He has travelled the world and listened to food being cooked in many different countries and languages. 
Speaking of food, while I was offline John had a day off so we zoomed down the country roads to the local seed place and bought grass seed. Then John and the chickens planted the new three acres that we have rented from his Uncle. Two acres are an alfalfa blend for Hay and one acre is to be fenced for grazing. This is a lovely high protein blend for milking cows and finishing grass fed beef. 
Senior Son this shot is for you. The Mia Look!
The little John Deere had the task of dragging this borrowed seeder up and down the field for the day. Poor wee tractor was at the limit of its strength. But this shot once again gives you a visual of the mammoth task of reclaiming this inert and discouraged land. Now all we need is rain.
Good morning. Since Monday I have had all the windows and doors open. The screens have gone back up, the swing chairs are hung, the verandah has been washed down, we are eating outside again, the fly swats have been located, the vegetables are being planted, the flower gardens opened up and my days are full of birdsong. My big work this week is clearing all the flower gardens of debris and covering them with a thick bed of mulch. With a dry summer ahead all the soil must be covered. No bare soil allowed.
But I have lost my summer fitness and so my body is aching from the extra heavy work. And I got sunburnt yesterday! Bad I know, I promise to cover up my Irish skin today but Oh it felt So Good! And a good shot of real Sunlight Vitamin D is so enlivening!
Today it is Friday so it is Old Codger visiting day for TonTon. It is quite a drive there and back so the lady down the road is going to check in on Mama while I am gone. If she does have four lambs and I cannot imagine we will get less now, we will have to be on hand to help out. I cannot bear to lose anymore lambs.
The good news is that the Printer Man has promised me that the Postcards will finally be here by the 16th which is today. I will not bore you with that saga as it was just annoying really, not life threatening, just boring having to drag this company through the process, but it will be great to get our farmy cards at last.
And so to work for me. The grass is growing very fast now, so in a month I hope that I will have the animals back on grass and after a few weeks of additional hay they will be left to graze for the summer. Then My Work will consist of opening and shutting gates! What a joy that will be!
Good morning. Welcome back! I missed you.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
97 responses to “Winter left without saying goodbye.. no manners”
We missed you too! How wonderful to see warmer weather arriving with due haste. Can’t wait to see the farmy in all its Spring glory 🙂
morning carol Anne .. our morning walks are full of new growth every day now, even hourly! c
Winter can quite happily pack his bags and leave, I love summer and living outdoors.
I miss the warmth of the sun through winter like you.
Cheers
Marcus
Morning Marcus and yes, we are outdoor lovers as well, eating outside in the shade of a big tree is a pure joy, hot or not! c
Oh, how I missed you, too! So glad you’re back…and Mia’s up and happy again…and Mama’s lambs have yet to appear…
The green and growing grass is truly balm for a winter-weary soul – there’s no lovelier color in the whole wide world.
Morning Marie, it is great to see the grass, your woodland animals must love the spring too.. c
Welcome back! I have missed you! Glad it was nothing major with the laptop!
I live in horror of a virus, so it is good that the systems I have in place are working! a fixable problem is fine with me! c
Lovely to have you back. I’m glad I am not the only ones who unwittingly clogs up their computers. Spring is finally arriving here too but we are facing hosepipe bans this summer due to the lack of rainfall. As much as I love the sun, I’ll pray we get some rain on both sides of our respective ponds. Welcome back!
yes i have to do some unclogging work, i will get out the plunger! Morning Noodle! c
Lovely to have you back C. I have missed you. Great post.
Regards Florence x
Morning Florence, Is the weather as beautiful out there in spain?.. c
It is glorious at the moment but we desparately need the rain.
Florence x
We missed you too. We are having fleeting visits of sunny, warm Spring days alternating with grey misty ones. Very dry, and now Jock’s mown the grass, it is a bit yellow.
I loved the pictures of fat Mama and Mia – such a character.
I thought you were saving that grass to make hay!!! morning Viv! c
Glad it was just a clog and not a major fix. Most of us have had this problem at one time or another. The photos take up the most space, I think, and the external drive will help you tremendously. I am so excited/anxious for Mama. Tell her thanks for waiting until you got your computer back. Maybe then we will all get to peek in on the miracle of her lambs via your words and lens. I am so proud of you and John for taking back the land one acre at a time. Here’s my dream: The huge ag-farming complexes go away, and in their place spring up a large network of smaller farmys across our great land, a network of linked villages populated by sensible farmers who barter and trade and live on the land in a sustainable manner. This is not so far fetched. It can happen if we make it happen…keep on setting a good example and living the dream!
It would be grand wouldn’t it and this is exactly what was right here Eighty years ago! So it certainly can be done. The problem is greed, just greed.. however it is too nice a day to let that bunch make us sad today! Morning Maggie!! c
Welcome back, C. I missed you, too, and visiting the farm every day. You know how much I love the farm.
Anyway, most definitely you should be using an external hard drive to back up all your files. My new desktop arrived recently and I cannot believe the difference in speed compared to my 2003 computer. Loving it.
As for those spring photos…we are catching up to you here in Minnesota. No blooming daffodils yet, but soon. And last evening our bible study group ate snacks on our patio before moving indoors around 8 p.m. Almost unheard of here in Minnesota in mid March.
Have a beautiful day.
Isn’t it wonderful to be able to eat outside again.. I love it. have a great day Audrey! c
Eating outside?!!! Goodness, things change fast in your neck of the woods. Glad you’re back, your wonderful tales have been missed.
Christine
Thank you Christine and yes it has changed so fast i am reeling! but it does that out here on the plains.. c
Great to have you back online.. my laptop is slow as well.. I suspect I have to much “stuff” on it. Stuff being photographs in all likelihood. Oh, well… such is the life of a blogger! Glad to see sun and seeds and fields, Mia and TonTon… everyone smiling and getting Vitamin D! xo Smidge
It is a gorgeous day here smidge! c
Welcome. Back. And please put a camera on the dog.
Wouldn’t that be the funniest thing?. I could just sit on the verandah with a glass of plonk and send him out to check on everyone! perfect for the lazy farmer! morning greg.. c
Welcome back Celi – can’t believe winter just up and left like that! I am bouncing up and down with joy for you though, being the summer baby that I am.
Have a beautiful warm, sun filled weekend.
🙂 Mandy
We will Mandy, do you get very cold out there i wonder? In your winter?.. c
We do get fairly cold but not like your winters though, although when we returned home last year from Mauritius, we got here mid winter (one of the coldest our part of the country has experienced for over 10 years). Have a super Saturday. 🙂
I missed you, too, Celi. After months of sunshine, we are into our fourth day of steady rain — no birdsong here. Your laptop and the little John Deere both overburdened, as is Mia perhaps. Good to have the farmy report.
I heard you guys are getting our rain, save a little for us!!.. have fun.. c
Welcome back, Celi! Glad to hear that your laptop problems were easily remedied. It doesn’t take much for repair costs to spiral out of control. Your statue of St. Joe is a classic. DId you notice the flowers he’s carrying? As I recall the story, his staff bloomed as a sign to Mary that she should accept his proposal of marriage. Speaking of blooms, the crocus and some daffs are blooming in my front yard. They’re weeks early! I hope Winter just slips away without so much as a mumble.
Thank you for your kind reference of my St. Joseph’s post. Have a good visit with your friend, hope Mama waits for your return, and, most of all, so good to have you back!
morning john and I always wondered about those flowers with st joseph and their significance.. that is great info.. I must get some crocus, they are so pretty but we also have plenty of daffs floating about in the garden! c